Kids Corner

Image above: detail from photo by Gurumustuk Singh.

Poetry

Naam:
From The Pen of Bhai Vir Singh

Translated from Punjabi by INNI KAUR

 

 

A giant in Punjabi Literature, Bhai Vir Singh (1872 - 1957) is celebrated as 'The Sixth River of Punjab'. He was a mystic, poet, novelist, essayist, exegete, historian, editor, publisher and a journalist. He was the leading figure in the Singh Sabha Movement, the dynamic Sikh renaissance in the late 19th - early 20th century Punjab. The following passage is translated from his book Guru Nanak Chamatkar.

 

Dawn has just broken. 

Mardana plays the rabab.

Nanak, the Master, immersed in the love of the Beloved, radiates.

Congregation gathers. 

Shabad permeates.

Congregation disperses. 

A brahmin yogi lingers.

Brahmin: You and I have talked at length. I know you are enlightened. Help me with my doubts.

Master: Clear your doubts. Be sure of your path. For only then will the mind endeavor to rise. When the mind rises, it will tune itself to the Divine. An un-attuned mind cannot be awakened. And an un-awakened mind cannot meet the Divine. So ask your questions and clear your doubts.

Brahmin: You’ve said we should “remember naam.” That is what I have been doing and am continuing to do. Yet, you still say, “remember naam?”

Master: Reciting for fifteen minutes or half an hour is not remembrance of naam. 

Brahmin: Is reciting or chanting the name of the Divine not naam? 

Master: By all means recite the Name. Tell me, do you feel love for the Name that you are reciting? Are you thinking of the divine qualities that are attached to the Name you are chanting?

Brahmin: What is naam? What is enlightenment? 

Master: To know naam; to understand naam, you must have faith. Faith, that the Divine is all-pervading. Faith, that in the seen and unseen world, it is the Formless One that permeates. Faith, that invisible to the naked eye, the Pure Light of the Divine is in each and every being. Faith, that the Divine is eternal strength. Faith, that the power and ways of the Divine cannot be known by mortals, for the Divine is immortal.

When this eternal pure light meets with the spark of light within you, at that moment enlightenment takes place. Your life as you know it ceases. This pure light transforms you. Wonder and gratitude fill every pore of your being. 

If this union does not take place, then you continue to live like an extinguished lamp, low in spirits and powerless to rise above worldly desires. This is the cause of pain and suffering. So train your mind to always remain in the presence of the Divine. 

Think, when you remember someone, is your attention not that person? Attention is the essence in this world. When you give something your total attention, the work gets accomplished. But when the attention gets diverted, the work suffers. When a student gives his attention to his education, he gets educated. Similarly, if you focus your attention on the Divine and its attributes, you too will reap the benefits. So raise your consciousness above the seen world and focus your attention on the Divine.

When you begin to feel the love of the Divine within your mind and body, know that grace has been bestowed. This is naam. 

Dyed in the love of the Divine you will see the Divine pervading everywhere. This is naam.

When your attention turns from the seen world, towards the Divine world, that is also naam. 

Naam is not mere repetition.

Naam is repetition, recitation, remembrance and sensation. 

Naam is life.

Naam is grace. 

Naam is the divine light meeting the light within you. 

Naam is love, devotion, ecstasy and rapture.

Naam is when in your remembrance of the Divine you feel a heavenly sensation on your tongue.

Naam is when all the cells in your body get immersed in the love of the Divine and the flow of blood through your veins resounds with the sensation of the Divine.

Every pore, every cell rejoices. At that moment, you are truly awake. You are truly alive. 

Now, you judge the difference between the naam that you were reciting and the naam that I have just talked about. 

Brahmin: You are amazing. You have awakened me from my sleep. I thought just repeating the name of the Divine with the tongue and moving the beads for a few minutes was naam. Now I understand that mere tongue recitation is of no use. 

Master: You are mistaken again. Tongue recitation is fruitful. Recitation is the function of the tongue. Naam is also words. Let me try and explain it to you again. Naam is when the mind has been awakened. The mind is easily enticed by worldly desires and is in a state of lifelessness. Awakening the mind and then remaining in that awakened state is Naam. The body, whether it is sleeping or awake, has no meaning. Therefore, in the beginning, reciting the name of the Divine with the tongue is important. It helps the mind rise from its lifeless intoxication of worldly desires to an awakened state. The goal is to raise one’s consciousness and live with the sensation of the presence of the Divine within one’s body.

Brahmin: Please explain my mistakes clearly. I want to understand them correctly.

Master: You are making two mistakes.

Before naam, faith in the Divine must resonate within you.

First is the Divine, then comes naam. And then again, there is the Divine.

In the beginning is the Divine. In the end is the Divine. Naam is in between.

Initially, you must listen to the praises of the Divine, the creator, the nurturer, the sustainer, and the One that lives in all. Realize that to merge with the Divine is eternal happiness. That should be your aim in life. If that is your goal, then you have to tread on a straight and narrow path. True happiness is in the remembrance of the Divine, and for that you have to turn your mind away from worldly desires.

Right now people are suffering. The cause of this suffering is that they are living in a state of forgetfulness of the Divine. Everyone wishes to be happy and they are seeking this happiness in the pursuit of fulfilling worldly desires. Fulfilling worldly desires is opposite to living a life with the presence. Worldly desires create a distance between our self and the Divine within us.

Your first mistake is that you are reciting the name of the Divine without awareness of the qualities of the Divine. You have not made it your aim to turn your attention from worldly desires towards the Divine. The love for the Divine has not been absorbed within your mind. Therefore, with what devotion are you reciting the name?

Have faith and love of the Divine in your mind. Then recite the name making every endeavor to feel that you are in the presence of the Divine. Think of the Divine as the creator and the sustainer.

Brahmin: I don’t understand. If I have turned my mind and thoughts towards the Divine, then what is the need for recitation by the tongue?

Master: If the remembrance of the Divine remains constantly in your mind and you have managed to focus your attention on naam and your mind and body are experiencing an elevated state of consciousness, then that is good. Naam will settle in the breath. But this state does not happen unless there is an immense blessing. The mind does not get turned from worldly desires towards the Divine that easily. That is why every effort must be made so that the mind remains in an elevated state. We are bodies, so bodily efforts must be made to get the mind elevated.

Our entire attention is focused towards bodily attractions. We spend eight hours sleeping; eight hours working and the remaining eight hours socializing. In essence, all twenty-four hours are devoted towards the body. Tell me, when can the mind focus its attention towards the Divine?

Mind and body are greatly influenced by each other. Let me give you an example: if you dig for potatoes with your hands all day, then at night you will dream of potatoes. When you recite the Name with devotion, your mind will turn away from worldly desires. Its attention will be drawn to the words that you are reciting. Recitation by the tongue is for this purpose only.

The essence of what I am saying is that the attention of the mind has to be turned from the bodily attraction by some bodily occupation, and recitation of the name by the tongue is that. In this way, the mind will gradually turn towards goodness. With time, the mind will become righteous and naam will settle in and you will be immersed in divine love.

Brahmin: Is yoga better than naam?

Master: Everybody wants liberation. And there are many practices that take you towards the Divine. But for all of them, the requirement is that you have to renounce the world. If everybody renounces the world, in time the world as we know it will end.

The world may end or not. That is debatable and is not the point. In renunciation, one misses out on life experiences. Those experiences shape us, guide us and in many ways are paramount in raising our consciousness. It’s a lonely existence to live by oneself in the forest and do penances.

The path towards liberation that one should follow is to work honestly, serve the Creator’s creation and be a part of this world. Do all this while keeping your mind focused on the Divine and you will gradually get immersed in divine love. To be immersed in the love of the Divine is not a meeting of two in-animate objects. It is life. It is an awakened mind and body. People who have not perceived the Divine within are lifeless.

So, naam is a ceaseless remembrance of the Divine in the mind and a feeling of continuous love of the Divine towards you. It is a living sensation and exuberance.

Brahmin: What is my second fault?            

Master: The second mistake is that when you recite the name your attention is wandering. There is no longing, no aching within you to meet with the Divine. Neither do you feel the love from the Divine towards you. Mere recitation is happening. It is also very essential that a seeker of the Divine keep company of those who are love with the Divine and are on the same path.

O brahmin! You are well educated. An educated person is generally more argumentative. If you chose to tread this path, be sure not to get into arguments.

The mind is a lamp, a light, if you use it properly. Education gives knowledge. But the mind cannot rise above worldly entanglements through education alone. Naam entangles the mind from worldly entanglements.

*   *   *   *   *

The brahmin sat in meditation for some time and then fell at the Master’s feet. The Master touched the brahmin’s head. The brahmin’s body became light, as if there was no weight. His eyes went serene. His body cells resounded with naam. The tantric practices of many years that had made his mind full of dirt were washed away. His body and mind, elevated, was dyed in the color of the Divine.

On this day, the brahmin understood what naam really meant.

 

The translator, Inni Kaur, is the author of the children's book, Journey With The Gurus, which is available at www.JourneyWithTheGurus.com

September 14, 2011

Conversation about this article

1: Harinder Singh (San Antonio, Texas, U.S.A.), September 14, 2011, 10:50 AM.

Naam is a living inspiration, a phenomenon between a Sikh and the Guru. Naam is an active force. Inni bhen ji, your trans-creation of Bhai "Warrior" Singh's thoughts and feelings is incredible. Thank you!

2: Baldev Singh (Bradford, United Kingdom), September 14, 2011, 11:14 AM.

What a fantastic feature! To all who know little about naam ... It is ecstasy beyond any other ecstasy. No worldly pleasure can match it and the mere mention of being 'dyed in the love of the Divine' should move them into humility. Guru Arjan tells us that 'the religion of religions is the yearning for the Divine and the purity of deeds', and here Bhai Vir Singh knows all about this. So, to the Sikhs: ask yourselves how much brahminism runs your life (caste, dowry, superstition, ritual) or the beauty and love of the naam given to us without discrimination.

3: Jodh Singh (Jericho, New York, U.S.A.), September 15, 2011, 8:16 AM.

Sardarni Inni Kaur is a great translator from Punjabi into English. Nevertheless, I missed the authenticity of the original Punjabi.

4: Ajit Singh Batra (Pennsville, New Jersey, U.S.A..), September 15, 2011, 10:51 AM.

Naam originates from the Word in gurbani, which unites us with Waheguru. Guru Amardas: "sabday hee naa-o oopjai sabday mayl milaa-i-aa" - GGS:644. We have to realize that Naam and Word (gurbani) are identified with each other. The Word is nothing but expression of naam in the concrete form.

5: Gurmeet Kaur (Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A.), September 21, 2011, 12:21 PM.

Lucky rrahmin, he did not have the topmost two faults: 1) Lack of desire to seek naam; 2) Absence of grace or nadar from the Guru that causes and guides us to seek. Without the two, he would be like the rest of us, wandering meaninglessly, thinking that the world revolves around him. Thank you for this divinely beautiful piece that clarifies the rest.

Comment on "Naam:
From The Pen of Bhai Vir Singh"









To help us distinguish between comments submitted by individuals and those automatically entered by software robots, please complete the following.

Please note: your email address will not be shown on the site, this is for contact and follow-up purposes only. All information will be handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Sikhchic reserves the right to edit or remove content at any time.